THE LATEST: Petersen plays Gil Grissom and is co-executive producer of the veteran procedural drama, CBS' top-rated weekly series. It and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" routinely share spots in the Nielsen Top 10 despite airing in the same time slot. The show is finishing its seventh season and will be back for an eighth.
CRITIC'S TAKE: Danny Hooley, The N&O's TV writer, recently said, "I appreciate that it lacks that trendy, gallows-humor snarkiness of much recent blood-spatter fare. ... At the end, you're left with a real sense of justice for a crime being solved, rather than just satisfaction at watching smarty-pants at work." (For reviews of new shows, go to Hooley's TV Eye at blogs. newsobserver.com/tv.)
DID YOU KNOW? Petersen has a deep background in film, theater and TV. His TV credits include the films "Long Gone," "The Rat Pack," "The Kennedys of Massachusetts," which won a Golden Globe, and "The Beast." He made his Broadway debut in a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana." In 1979, he helped found the Remains Theater Ensemble in Chicago; he also was part of the noted Chicago troupe the Steppenwolf Company. He attended Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho, and wears his old football jersey from that school in most of his movies; he discovered acting while on a football scholarship at Idaho State University and later studied acting in Spain.
LIFE OFF-SCREEN: Petersen, 54, was born in Evanston, Ill. He lives in L.A. with his wife, Gina. He is a grandfather; grandson Mazrik William was born to Maite, his daughter from a previous marriage. For years, Petersen, an avid Cubs fan, has led the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field at least once a year. He also narrated the documentary "Wrigley Field: Beyond the Ivy" and appeared in "This Old Cub," a documentary about legendary third baseman Ron Santo.
FIND HIM ON DVD IN: "To Live and Die in L.A.," "Manhunter," "Cousins," "Young Guns II," "Fear," "Hard Promises," "Passed Away," "Kiss the Sky," "The Staircase" and "CSI."
From: http://www.cbs.com,imdb.com/ Amazon.Com
